A trio of top recipes

I realise I have been very sparse with providing my latest recipes on here recently.

So to make up for it, here are three of my favourite from the last couple of weeks - maybe give them a try this bank holiday?

The absolute best in my opinion and one that will become a regular mid week supper is stuffed peppers.

Now who doesn't like a stuffed pepper? But I have to admit, it took me a long time to master the recipe. It sounds easy enough to make but as it is such a simple concept it is important to get the flavour.

I also found a fast way to make the creation.

I hollowed out the peppers and then put the lids back on. I put them in the over in a little tin foil chair so they didn't fall over and just baked at 180 degrees whilst I prepared everything else.

Make up some cous cous and flavour it how you prefer. I had mushroom cous cous. Whilst that is soaking fry off some onion and turkey mince. I added in some oregano. (I think fresh oregano is too strong but I loved the dried stuff and it is a match made in heaven with turkey). Once it was all cooked I mixed the turkey mixture with the cous cous and cooked spinach for added benefits and then stuffed the peppers.

I left them in the oven for a further 10 minutes to make sure everything was cooked through and hot. It also lets the flavours combine. Then serve with salad. Yum!


This next dinner is a rarity as my other half hates courgettes so I take the opportunity when he is away to have this super healthy tea.

Spiralize your courgettes. They can be eaten raw or cooked slightly but I recommend keeping some crunch in them or they become a bit watery.

For a sauce I blended an avocado with half a sachet of creamed coconut. It was a very luxurious and tasty sauce. Just season it to your liking and add some lemon juice. The coconut was a new twist I hadn't done before but I had some left over so I gave it a go and now i'll never look back.

I fried some onions for some lovely texture, added the sauce and courgetti to warm it all through and served with a couple of poached eggs on top. When the luscious yolk runs into the courgetti it is heaven.

My third creation, and one I am currently eating is an adaptation of lots of recipes for protein balls. I see them all the time and wanted to give this type a go. I have made some before but these were easier and so good!

In a blender I whizzed together some peanut butter, unflavoured protein powder, vanilla essence and honey.

Once it all came together in a crumbly consistency I scooped some out and rolled it into a ball. I did this 12 times and let the balls cool.

I then melted some chocolate with some coconut oil and dipped the balls into the choccy mix. One lesson I learnt was to keep the balls separate and in the fridge to set. As you can see from the below image they look a bit messy when they have been stuck together. Lesson learnt!

Once they set they have kept in the fridge for two weeks now (it has killed me trying not to binge on them) and they are a great healthy, on the go snack!

The nobbly bits give off the 'homemade vibe' or so I tell myself

Find all these recipes on my recipe page soon.

Food really is fuel

We have all heard it 100 times before, you need food to fuel your body.

And the food you eat depends on how you use your  body.

It goes without saying healthy eating is a must for all. Filling your body with vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals is the most important thing. But, we all have a treat now and again - you have to!

As someone who really loves cake, sugary cereals and ice cream (to name just a few vices), I have to work hard so I don't give in or I would eat it all day, every day.

But remembering that sugar is the enemy is difficult when that brownie is melting in your mouth.

Which is what happened to me over the weekend. Cooking lunches, dinners, breakfasts, even snacks are not difficult for me. I only cook healthy food with natural ingredients - wherever possible - it is just that cookie that is presented to me that ruins things. But as those kinds of sugary treats hadn't really been on my radar since coming back from holiday and I haven't struggled too much.

I enjoyed feeling energetic and fresh last week living on a hearty and healthy diet. I didn't even feel hungry!

But then I went home to Yorkshire - where the dreaded monster mum lives and it all went down hill.

She had baked brownies, chocolate cake and a strawberry tart. We also had a big family BBQ. I managed to reign it in with the BBQ, eating just a few nice pieces of meat and some salad with only one (homemade) breadcake.

And what a BBQ it was

But then came the strawberry tart with homemade ice cream. (I did ensure it was a small portion but when you're out drinking all night ((a friends wedding do)) the calories rack up no matter what.)

Then the next day I enjoyed two big sticky brownies. Yes I did turn down the chocolate cake but the amount of sugar consumed in everything else made up for it anyway.

Matt and I didn't eat very well that day, skipping meals and eating bread and oil when we finally wanted something to eat at 8pm!

I am ashamed.

But the main point of all of this is, the next day I really felt it. I was sluggish and lethargic - as was Matt and when it came to going to the gym neither of us had it in us to actually train hard. After 20 minutes of slowly trying to push ourselves we gave in.

We were close to burning out and it just isn't worth the exhaustion. So we went home to rest up and I am happy to say we both ate very well, as we will the rest of the week.

Grilled chicken, sweet potato and veg. Mmmm

So, hopefully with properly fueled bodies we can train hard again and get back into the fantastic shape we were a month ago!

Falling off the bandwagon..... again!

It was a spectacular fall.
Let me give you an example. Yesterday I had two slices of cake, didn't eat tea and went to bed scoffing lots of chocolate.
Woke up this morning, knowing I was going out for dinner and cocktails, had a healthy cereal and scoffed lots more chocolate.

Coming back to monster mums I discovered I still had a tin of Roses left from Christmas - sorry waistline!

 I weighed myself and I am three pounds heavier than I want to be.
To be honest, I just haven't been focusing on food lately. I guess it has been a nice break but it is my birthday next week and I want to look my best for a good night out.
I need to gather all my will power and have a strong week which I know I can if there is no temptation in my way... which I strongly believe there may be, in the form of cake! - Birthday cake!
MODERATION - that is key which needs ingraining in my mind!

What is cake without a brew - what is a brew without cake?

But seriously, if I wanted cake I had it, if I wanted to eat a pack of biscuits I did and so on and so forth. The problem is, I always want this stuff so, as one might imagine, I have been a little greedy porker recently!
On the plus side, I have also been nailing the gym and weights! Not so much cardio, I am working on that! So I truly believe that one of those pounds may be muscle. That's what I am going to continue to tell myself anyway.
I'm terrified I'm falling too far off the bandwagon though so I need to focus. 

Get my head in the game! Happy, healthy eating all!

This week's healthy feasts

Vegetarian Mexican casserole,
Avocado, rice cake and poached egg,

Banana cookies

This week I have embarked on a culinary experiment.

I eat meat but I do love having a few days without it as it can be a bit heavy on my stomach. I have also been having trouble with my stomach lately and I suspect it is a wheat or gluten intolerance.

So I have tried a couple of new healthy recipes to try and get my tummy happy again. (Apologies about my sloppy presentation and photographs).


Guacamole and poached egg on rice cakes: 

The avocado, rice cake and poached egg is pretty straight forward and came from me having half an hour to rush a lunch using the few ingredients I had in.

So these new buckwheat rice cakes are brilliant. Only 29 calories and full of healthy seeds.

I love avocado, it is rich and creamy and full of healthy fats, it was a no brainer really - the guacamole and rice cakes would be a match made in heaven. But I needed more. It had to be more substantial to keep me going for the rest of the afternoon. My go to protein is eggs and I love poached egg.
Essentially I made my own healthy version of egg on toast. I upped the benefits by using super foods.

It was really delicious and will be a regular meal in future.

Banana cookies

These banana cookies were delicious and satisfied my sugar cravings. You only need three ingredients and they take 20 minutes to make.

Mash or blend two medium bananas to make a smooth paste, mix in a cup of oats and a quarter of a cup of chocolate chips - or dried fruit if you prefer. Scoop out onto a baking tray, (it made about 12 for me) and bake at 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Then enjoy!

Mexican casserole

Now this was something special. As someone who loves Mexican food and peppers this was perfect. I made it for friends and it served six so I had two portions left over for the next day.

I fried a load of peppers and onions in a pan, added some sweetcorn once the peppers had softened and sprinkled everything with chili powder and cumin.

Then I mashed up a tin of mixed beans and pulses with a bit of water to loosen them and made some enchilada sauce.

I used whole wheat tortilla strips and layered all the ingredients in a baking dish. Popped it in the over with some cheese on the top for 20 minutes and viola - a stunning dinner.
My boyfriend didn't even miss the meat!

Enjoy and keep an eye on my recipes page for instructions...

A running stitch'uation

Out on the open road, looking forward to running a new route in Villamoura, Portugal.
It was set up to be a delightful run. It ended up being one of the worst runs I have ever had - at first anyway.
Off I went, slightly uphill at first, but I was enjoying it.
I love the challenge uphill presents because most runs are flat, but this one was bearable.
Usually it takes me around 15 minutes to get into a run and four miles before I am really comfortable. About 10 minutes into it I got a stitch, something I have never had whilst running before.
And my god was it painful. I am one of those who refuses to stop while on a run, I feel like a failure if I do.
I have even run through severe bouts of sickness. Doubled over, holding back the vomit, I have still carried on.
I did try to push through it but it stopped me in my tracks. My legs could have carried on and my mind was good to go but the pain in my side was excruciating. I was putting pressure on it in an attempt to compress the pain.
Who knew something as simple as a stitch which we all suffered as kids, could really be so painful.
It hurt enough to combat my stubborn nature.
As it was my first "stitch up" since becoming a jogger and with it coming after running only a short distance, I felt I had to get to the bottom of it.
It was around two and half hours since I had eaten, however it could have been the food I ate.
I had sushi for lunch, a chocolate pastry for dessert and shop bought granola for breakfast.
The combination of high sodium and high sugar foods must have had something to do with it.
It got me thinking about my diet in general. It has not been up to scratch lately and it made me feel guilty.
A bad diet can only lead to bad running. So it is time for a change. A 10 day detox and clean eating from now on. I am determined to eventually quit sugar but as we all know it is extremely addictive. It is also in everything! So it may take a while but it is something I am willing to be patient with.
On a more positive note. I was feeling rather disappointed about stopping due to the stitch and had resolved to take the shorter route home. But as I pushed through the pain barrier I started to feel better. Before long I felt stronger again. I ended up doing a much longer route then I initially thought.
So what began as a bit of a disastrous run turned into a successful, enjoyable jog.
Bur the moral of this story is bad diet = bad running.  

Festival fitness

I am currently dealing with the after effects of Leeds Festival. 

Having a booze break 

While it was one of the best weekends of my life, I can really feel that my fitness level has deteriorated.
There is no possible way of eating well at festivals.
Four nights in a tent is one thing but the ground you cover walking and standing is another. While it is good for burning calories it is not so good for eating the right kind of calories.
Walking so much is already a strain on both your feet and your back so you do not want the added weight of carrying anything around, particularly food.

Feeling a bit worse for wear after day one

I started each morning with an apple and breakfast biscuits. Not the best start but certainly better then anything else on offer. 
The rest of the day was spent nibbling on random snacks just for an energy boost, whatever was on offer really, which was unfortunately a lot of crisps and chocolate/biscuits. You are moving around so much any energy boost is welcome. Then in the evening you need something sustainable so you go for whatever is on sale. There is a lot of choice and I had a burrito, noodles and a burger over three nights. The burger in particular was not worth it. 
Nevertheless it kept me going when I needed it. But on top of the bad food choices and random eating habits, I was drinking copious amounts of alcohol and having very little sleep.

Mid day music with larger to fuel us

 All worth it I must say - I attempted to eat as best I could when the option was available. We made a supermarket trip where I got a sandwhich for my tea one night and yoghurt and granola for a lunch another time plus watermelon and grapes throughout. But at the end of the day it does not compensate for everything else bad for my body that I consumed. 

It was all worth it 

Ever since I have been attempting to get my sleep pattern back to normal, my exercise routine back to normal and my eating much healthier. I have felt lethargic and constantly hungry since though, so it is proving a challenge at the moment.
I will get there, today was a pretty good day for the cause so it will not take long. But it is crazy how four days can mess up your system. 

We had a lot of late nights 

I can also see it in my skin and hair. Both look dull and my skin is quite bad at the moment. It is due to the amount of sugar I took on board. My next step is to try and cut out sugar completely - bar the odd block of dark chocolate. We have to have some luxuries. 

Protein princess

So yesterday I blogged about my bad habits and not doing so well on the healthy eating front.
I also think it is equally important to blog about the successes I have.
I know it has only been one day but it is the first of many good ones. I had convinced myself I had fallen off the bandwagon and would struggle to get back on again. Alas, today I did it. I had three healthy meals: protein shake made with milk, soup and sourdough bread and chicken stir fry. Snacks have been healthy and nutritious: kiwi, boiled eggs and peanut butter on sourdough bread. I know I have had bread twice but I did a big weight training session today so I needed the extra carbs and anyway sourdough bread is a healthy alternative.

Today's nutrition chart

I always feel a sense of achievement when protein is my main source of energy because it seems so hard to do, especially as most go to foods are carb heavy or fatty. But today I got the balance right.
I have eaten approximately 1,418 calories and burnt 357 calories during a cardio workout. I would not know how to work out how many I burnt weight training but I'd say enough to warrant the peanut butter on bread as more of a post workout snack than a naughty snack.
Tomorrow should be another day great of healthy, nutritious food. The feeling you have at the end of the day for eating well definitely outweighs the five minutes of pleasure from eating crap food. I just wish that was something I could remember more often when the chocolate bar or sausage roll calls my name.

Chocolate

While laid here struggling to sleep due to an incredibly guilty conscience after having an evening of mindlessly binging I realised I haven't yet blogged about my successful attempt at lent.
Being a self-confessed chocoholic I knew the ultimate challenge for me would be to go the whole six weeks without any form of chocolate. 
It isn't until you give up something like chocolate that you realise just how many food products have chocolate included. Biscuits, cereal bars, granola's, ice-cream cones. It is a constant battle trying to avoid the stuff. 
While I didn't go without the occasional craving I found it surprisingly easy to do. There came a point where I really didn't miss chocolate (although the bourbons at my sisters were a true test to my willpower). 
So when Easter weekend came something in my mind told me I had to be excited about eating the luxurious milky egg I had waiting for me. I also decided I would eat a number of things I had craved over lent. 

Courtesy of Lee McCoy

Now, I am not ashamed to say I ate the whole egg including the bars it came with as well as some extra bits. But one thing I really have to admit is, deep down I was not looking forward to it and when I was stuffing my face I really did not enjoy it. The one thing that has been a constant comfort in my life did not satisfy me and really did not taste that great. It has not stopped me having the odd few pieces this week but it has certainly opened my eyes.
I definitely feel much better after a big fruit salad then I do after a bar of chocolate. I can only hope the mental craving doesn't cloud my clear vision again. There really was a point in my life very recently where I couldn't get through the day without some chocolate but I know that is all in my head. The problem is I am very weak mentally. 
Hopefully I can keep in mind the disappointment I feel every time I have eaten chocolate this week and it will become a rare occurrence in my diet. 

Protein and fat meal plans

After a week of feasting and not thinking about the food I ate, (including take-aways and chocolate bars) I felt it was time to seriously get back on track.
My healthy life style has taken a back seat and I twisted my ankle so I could not even run to rectify the bad behavior in the kitchen.
I have blogged before about having a high fat/protein and low carb diet. I am going to use the next two weeks to take this more seriously.
Here is an example eating plan.
Monday:
Breakfast - Yogurt, berries and nuts.
Lunch - Grilled chicken salad.
Dinner - Salmon and a variety of vegetables.

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Almonds and protein shake made with milk.
Lunch - Homemade soup.
Tea - Tomato coated chicken with variety of vegetables and sweet potato wedges.

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Poached egg on flat mushroom.
Lunch - Soup.
Dinner - Chicken salad.

Thursday:
Breakfast - Yogurt, berries and nuts.
Lunch - Chicken salad.
Dinner - Omelette with tinned mackerel.

Friday:
Breakfast - Scrambled egg and tinned mackerel.
Lunch - Soup
Dinner - Fish or chicken with a variety of green vegetables.

Snacks - Seeds, nuts, protein shake and small amounts of fruit.

This is the plan I followed the first week I changed my diet to be more protein and fat based. That week I instantly felt better in myself and like my body was tightening up. I have some left over Thai curry that will be a dinner in place of Wednesday's chicken salad but this is an example of a focused week.
The main foods that I eat for a protein and healthy fat enriched diet are there, including a lot of eggs, vegetables and fish. Fresh food is the way forward and this diet is the best way to incorporate it in my opinion. 

Lent

Ahh lent, the time of year everyone is hopeful and believes for a couple of days that they have will power.
Anyone who has read this blog before would know, I gave up chocolate for three weeks recently.
Since being able to eat it again I have binged, ridiculously.
The sad thing is I don't know why. I have not particularly enjoyed any that I have eaten. I think it was a matter of 'you can now so do!'
So I am giving up chocolate for lent.

My last chocolate treat before lent began

In my opinion it is all in the mind. The problem is I am weak willed. There is so much chocolate around and on offer if I get it in my head I want something, it just sort of happens. Luckily I proved to myself I can go without by doing 21 days no choc. I just hope I can stick to it for six weeks. For me, it isn't chocolate bars per say, but biscuits. Chocolate biscuits, cookies and things with chocolate in. Luckily there are alternatives so I hope they will help. But only when absolutely necessary because what is the point of giving up the dairy goodness to just replace it with something else? This should help my sugar cravings too if I play my cards  right.

So I hope whatever you have decided to give up for lent works out for you. Let's all keep thinking of the satisfactory feeling we will have when we do it! Because we will!

Just for good measure, check out my super healthy dinner from tonight. 

Salmon with cajun spice, cabbage and spinach. Superfood!

Pancake day the right way

So we all know it, today is pancake day. And who doesn't love a pancake.
I also saw it as an opportunity to have nutella and peanut butter. I just had them on one, I stuffed the other with almond butter.
I made pancakes for everyone in the office so I did the traditional ones but I also experimented and did a batch of protein pancakes.

Stack of protein goodness

All I needed was protein powder, eggs, koko milk and bicarbonate of soda. I have to say now, they taste nothing like pancakes but they work as a great base for everything you would love on a pancake.

They were a little bit dry, I think I went overboard on the bicarb but the next time I reckon they will be perfect.

So maybe I could have been healthier today, I had the pancakes for lunch with yummy fillings but at least they were protein packed. That on top of lots of exercise (swimming, rowing, weights and a short run on the treadmill) I think I can let myself off.

Just for good measure, these are the normal pancakes I made, my best batch yet.

Check the recipe page for the method. 

21 Day Challenges

So as you may be aware, I have recently done two 21 Day Challenges.
I had to do 21 days of exercise and thought I would do 21 days without chocolate alongside.
I did it and I couldn't be more pleased.
The exercise didn't phase me, I am pretty active already. However, I must say it has really made me appreciate rest days.
Those days when I sit around feeling guilty for not fitting a work out in are behind me.
I made the mistake of starting the challenge on a Wednesday having already done two days worth of exercise. I also finished on a Wednesday, I have spin class on Thursdays and will not miss the chance to go to the gym when I finish work early on a Friday. It is often empty so I love it. Meaning, technically I did 26 days of exercise. Tomorrow is my first day off and on one hand I can't wait on the other I can already sense that I will be having withdrawal symptoms. It will help that I will be hungover as it is my birthday night out tonight.

Birthday breakfast

I was really not looking forward to 21 days without chocolate. However, it really was not that hard. There were two days in the second week where I really struggled but that had a lot to do with colleagues buying chocolate digestives.
One thing it taught me is I do not need chocolate and on top of that I don't actually like it that much. I love biscuits including chocolate biscuits, that will never change. But as for chocolate bars and solid chocolaty things I could live without. It doesn't taste as good as I remember. It really does only take 21 days to stop cravings because that is why I ate chocolate. I craved it because it is addictive. Having eaten chocolate since, even though I was not craving it, made me see it isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Birthday lunch

Unfortunately, everyone who knows me seems to think i'm a choccy monster. So for my birthday I got a LOT of chocolate. I decided to let myself off eating well this week because I just wanted to enjoy myself without worrying about food. So I have eaten A LOT of chocolate. To the point where I am sick of it.
I need to get rid of it though, I am giving it up again for lent.
I'll miss you choccy biscuits. Wish me luck!
The main thing I learnt about myself is I can do it if I put my mind to something. Setting myself challenges works for me because I like to prove a point, I guess being stubborn is handy in this instance.

Loving the attention

The resistance

Well, today I was put to the real test. In my last post I mentioned my two 21 Day Challenges.
The first challenge is 21 Days of exercise which I didn't think would be too hard as I work out on average six times a week anyway. It turns out it is, that one rest day makes a world of difference and I'm pretty sure i'm over exerting myself.
So today I did 30 minutes cardio in the gym and that was it. I felt like i'd really treated myself and it felt great having a nice long evening to relax.
But where I was most pleased was when a colleague of mine bought a box of brownies in. My other challenge, the one that really is a challenge, is 21 Days without chocolate!

Delicious, delectable brownies

These chewy treats were also within arms length of my desk. Unfortunately my desk is the one right next to the "goody table" as it is known, every office has one. 
The worst part is knowing they are still there tomorrow but I will persevere. 

I knew I had to get my sweet tooth under control and like many before me, saying no to sugary delights only led to me eating twice as much. So instead I just cut out chocolate, anything with chocolate as an ingredient. What has kept me going this week (which surprisingly has been the worst week, all I want is a Twix, bourbon biscuits and chocolate digestives, not much really) is knowing how well I have done now. It has also shown me I can do it! 

My 21 Days is up on 26th February, coincidentally, my birthday. So I can indulge without guilt in cake (which I can technically eat any way given that it isn't chocolate cake) and my lovely little chocolate heart a colleague bought me for Valentines Day. 

Thanks Charlotte can't wait to eat this! White chocolate and raspberry heart, lush.

I am going up North to my home town this weekend. That will be a challenge. When visiting my mums all I seem to do is dive into a dream of chocolate. She has both a "goody draw" in the fridge and a "goody cupboard" I hear it's a mum thing. So I will be doing my best to avoid those.

I will try to harness the strength I have felt today.

Wish me luck.